Glutaraldehyde AKA Excel use in a reef.

EddyEOD · Jul 22, 2020

Has anyone used glutaraldehyde aka seachem Excel in a reef tank to control algae?

I googled around and found a single post on another forum where someone discussed having success in a mixed reef without fish at a dosage rate of 1ml per 10 gal of 2% glutaraldehyde.

I dont by seachem's claims of it being like liquid CO2 for freshwater systems that has been debunked as far as I'm concerned, but it is very effective at algae reduction without harming inverts, fish, beneficial bacteria, and plants in a freshwater system.

I cant fathom why more people havent tried it. I'm unable to find good info if you have some please share.

Am I allowed to post a link to the other forum with information on this subject?

jay06705 · Jul 22, 2020

Following along since I use this for my planted freshwater tanks.

EddyEOD · Jul 23, 2020

I dosed .3ml (1.5% glutaraldehyde) in a 13.5 gallon (10gal water) via syringe directly into a patch of hair algae. I will increase to .4 or. 5ml tomorrow if no I'll effects are seen on the corals and other inhabitants.

EddyEOD · Jul 23, 2020

Zero reaction so far from tank inhabitants to include;

Clownfish
Fire fin dartfish
Hecktors goby
Shark nose goby
Cleaner shrimp
Emerald crab
Blue leg hermit
Pom pom crab w/ anenomes
Fighting conch
Misc snails
Goniopora
Hammer coral
Trumpet coral
Platygyra
Hollywood stunner chalice

Algae status= no change

taricha · Jul 23, 2020

a quick scan of google scholar shows toxicity to sensitive fish / fish embryos and algae at similar concentrations (in freshwater). But it's also used in aquaculture, so dunno. Thanks for doing these observations.

EddyEOD · Jul 23, 2020

In a freshwater environment I can assure you it is highly effective at algae control at doses of about .5ml per gallon without any noticeable effect on breeding neocardinia shrimp, snails, and celestial pearl danio fish.

It isnt an instant kill of algae but more of a slow decline leaving plants spotless.

My primary concern in a marine environment is zooxanthellae. Other reports of usage of 3% solution at 1ml per 10 gallon showed no negative effects on SPS and CUC.

It will be interesting to see how effective it is at spot treatment vs whole tank. I wonder about using it as a dip as well.

EddyEOD · Jul 24, 2020

Dosed .5ml this morning. Still no reaction from reef or effect on algae.

Cory · Aug 4, 2020

How is this experiment working?

Dan_P · Aug 4, 2020

Glutaraldehyde - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Glutaraldehyde, sold under the brandname Cidex and Glutaral among others, is a disinfectant, medication, preservative, and fixative.[3][4][5][6] As a disinfectant, it is used to sterilize surgical instruments and other areas of hospitals.[3] As a medication, it is used to treat warts on the bottom of the feet.[4] Glutaraldehyde is applied as a liquid.[3]

Side effects include skin irritation.[4] If exposed to large amounts, nausea, headache, and shortness of breath may occur.[3] Protective equipment is recommended when used, especially in high concentrations.[3] Glutaraldehyde is effective against a range of microorganisms including spores.[3][7] Glutaraldehyde is a dialdehyde.[8] It works by a number of mechanisms.[7]

Glutaraldehyde came into medical use in the 1960s.[9] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[10] There are a number of other commercial uses such as leather tanning.[11]

EddyEOD · Aug 5, 2020

I have been using about 1ml in the 10 gallon every other day. No negative effects noticed. Much of the GHA was turning brown and needed a scrubbing to get it off leaving a smaller amount of live algae underneath. Areas directly dosed with glut bleach white. It seems to help.

I handle chemicals with caution but in a world where everything is cancerous its difficult to guage real risk. We often dose hydrogen peroxide at 10 times the dosage of glut and hydrogen peroxide is rocket fuel and used to make explosives. Concentration and persistence in the water are key factors.

EugeneVan · Apr 15, 2021

EddyEOD said:
I have been using about 1ml in the 10 gallon every other day. No negative effects noticed. Much of the GHA was turning brown and needed a scrubbing to get it off leaving a smaller amount of live algae underneath. Areas directly dosed with glut bleach white. It seems to help.

I handle chemicals with caution but in a world where everything is cancerous its difficult to guage real risk. We often dose hydrogen peroxide at 10 times the dosage of glut and hydrogen peroxide is rocket fuel and used to make explosives. Concentration and persistence in the water are key factors.

I come across with your post today. How does it go with your saltwater tank. The Seachem Excel work really well on my FW plant tank and I dose it into my 100 gal on a daily basis. All my plant and fish are so healthy. BTW the tank was in operating for over one year.